After restoring "robust profits" to adidas, Chair Robert
Louis-Dreyfus wants to "turn up the heat on Nike and Reebok
International on their home court," according to Woodruff &
Anhalt in BUSINESS WEEK. Louis-Dreyfus, who took control of
adidas in '93 after "a successful stint" running British ad
agency Saatchi & Saatchi, said adidas "would one day like to get
back to No. 1." Adidas is currently "tops" in Europe, but ranks
behind Nike and Reebok in the U.S. Adidas' "once-abysmal"
position in the U.S. has improved with its market share in
sporting goods rising from 2% to about 5%. Now, by
"aggressively" launching their "Feet You Wear" line in the U.S.
and Europe, Louis-Dreyfus hopes to "accelerate the comeback." In
August, adidas launched a $20M U.S. ad campaign for "Feet You
Wear," the first nationwide TV campaign adidas has run in the
U.S. "Feet You Wear" shoes are available for tennis, hiking and
training, but "long-term success in the U.S. market is tied to
basketball." Therefore, adidas signed the Lakers' Kobe Bryant
and Celtics' Antoine Walker, among others, and Louis-Dreyfus
hopes they will become stars and "lure Nike fans into the adidas
camp" (BUSINESS WEEK, 10/21 issue).
